The Milwaukee Bucks started a wave of protest in the NBA on Wednesday (Aug. 26), when they made the decision to go on strike and call off their playoff game against the Orlando Magic in solidarity with Jacob Blake.
Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was shot multiple times in the back by police officers on Sunday (Aug. 23) in Kenosha, Wisconsin, as he entered the driver’s side door of an SUV. The devastating incident took place in front of Blake’s three young children, aged three, five and eight.
“The past four months have shed light on the racial injustices facing our African American community,” the Bucks said in a team statement. “Citizens around the country have used their voices and platforms to speak out against these wrongdoings. Over the last few days in our home state of Wisconsin, we’ve seen the horrendous video of Jacob Blake being shot in the back seven times by a police officer in Kenosha and the additional shooting of protesters. Despite the overwhelming plea for change, there has been no action. So our focus today cannot be basketball.”
A number of other NBA teams soon followed, with the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers also taking part in the strike.
Following the news, a number of celebrities took to social media to support the important gesture launched by the Bucks. See below.
